Issues with Deco BE63 3-pack working in AP mode
Just bought a 3-pack of the Deco BE63s. Setup has been a major hassle (I've wiped/reinitiated the network 6 times now).
My network setup is: Cable provider (Xfinity) coax cable from outside > structured wiring closet using Arris T25 modem (non-wireless model) > Leviton 4 port router (model #47611-GT4) > conduit that takes the CAT5E cable to various rooms in my house.
All Decos are on the same floor. The "main" deco is using ethernet cable from the wall (technically my router is "in front" of all the wall jacks); another Deco is in our home theater room wired via ethernet from the wall; the 3rd Deco is in our kitchen using wireless.
The first time I set up the Deco mesh, I used the default router mode, but soon realized that I should be using AP mode instead to benefit from ethernet backhaul, so I deleted Decos 2 & 3 using the app, unplugging them from power duringg that process, then deleted the entire network from the main Deco and started over from scratch.
Now, using AP mode on the main Deco, the 2nd Deco in my home theater room (using wired ethernet) is not showing up as being wired (in the app, there's just a straight pulsating line between the main Deco and the home theater Deco, with no ethernet cable icon as there supposedly should be).
The 3rd Deco, in the kitchen, refuses to show up at all; during setup, I'll get the yellow LED at boot, then the pulsing blue > solid blue > green, while the app says the Deco can't be found and is generally unhelpful. The Deco LED will then flash red (dropped from network), then eventually green (found network).
The app still doesn't register the 3rd Deco.
I've tried to set up this network 6 times now, and it's always the same. Extremely frustrating.
My network setup can't be changed: my house is hard wired, with a structured wiring closet, and I'm not going to abandon all the work I put into that just because TPLink thinks that their units should be the first point of contact after my modem.
If I'd known that these were so finicky, I'd have gone with another company, or stuck with my old Apple Airport Extreme towers, which have worked flawlessly for over 10 years now (I just wanted a bit more coverage, FFS).
Any help will be appreciated, or I'm probably going to RMA these and look elsewhere.
I tried the web interface, and both my browsers (Safari & FIefox) were unable to find the site, so sad trombone.
Forgot to add at the start of the thread that my hardware version for the Deco set is v2.6.
The firmware update that kicked in when I first set it up is v1.1.7 Build 20250324 Rel. 32980.
App says I'm up to date.
I'll try the swap you mention when I don't need the internet and have the time to spare, but I'm thinking that they all work (the trio worked when I initially had it in router mode), they just aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing.
I'm mainly irritated that this is becoming such a damn time sink, my entire weekend was shot, and evenings spent hovering over the screen of my phone while the radar animation chugs along looking for Decos (and then cheerfully telling me they can't be found) is not what I find fulfilling.
@Kirudub I have the same comm box but I ended up using other products in it. My latest are 2 10 GbE 8 port switches (Model TL-SX1008). Even the next/upgraded "gateway" 47611-WG4 has been discontinued. All you'd need to do is bypass that gateway and connect the T25 to a Deco placed nearby, then connect the Deco's LAN ports as needed...
